THE PATH TO BIG, teardrop thigh muscles is generally thought to go in one direction: Straight to the leg extension machine. This piece of gym equipment is beloved by bodybuilders, athletes, and general exercisers alike, since it allows you to target the quadriceps muscles directly. Just how the machine does that is right in the name: the primary function of the quads is leg extension (straightening the leg at the knee joint), and that’s exactly what you’ll be doing when you plop yourself down in the machine’s seat.
If you’re not in a well-stocked gym, however, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a leg extension machine. These big pieces of equipment aren’t exactly home gym friendly, and more functionally-focused training spaces might look down on any gear that has just one purpose.
Thankfully, there are some alternative exercises that you can swap in for the leg extension when your workout program calls for quads-focused training. Men’s Health fitness editor Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. explains that while you can get some localized quad work in with these seven exercises, you’ll still be better off with a leg extension machine if one is available. “None of these moves will truly attack your quads the same way that a leg extension machine does, but they’re still solid alternatives that will help smoke the dominant muscles on the front of our thighs.”
How the Quad Muscles Work
The reason leg extensions are so effective comes down to how the quadriceps, the big, four-part muscles located on the front of your thighs just above the knee, work. Again, the primary purpose of the quads is knee extension, or straightening your leg. The secondary purpose is to help flex the hip. That means any time you straighten your leg, you’re using your quads.
When you use the leg extension machine, the setup allows you to keep tension on the muscle throughout the whole range of motion, including when your quads are in the stretched position. You’ll also be able to isolate the muscle in a way that you’ll have a hard time replicating with free weights.
When you do some of these alternative exercises (or perform other moves that target the quads like front squats) there will be other limiting factors like grip, core strength, or CNS fatigue that will tire you out before you can give your quads the stimulus they need for growth.
What We’re Looking for in Leg Extension Alternative Exercises
These limiting factors should be a consideration when you pick the exercises you’ll be swapping in for the leg extension machine on leg day. The key is picking movements that can both recreate that tension in the stretched position while also limiting upper body fatigue so that you can pile up some volume to challenge the quads.
Here, Samuel offers seven exercises that can serve as alternatives to the leg extension machine. They’re listed in descending order, from the least effective to the most effective—but they can all find a place in your workout when your goal is to build big quads.
Leg Extension Alternative Exercises
Resistance Band Leg Extension
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Why: This move might be the most obvious, but it’s also one of the least effective alternatives to the leg extension. That said, it can replicate the same movement pattern of the machine. Work on the mind-muscle connection and performing lots of reps.
How to Do It:
Attach a resistance band to an anchor point at the bottom of a weight bench. Sit on the bench and loop the other end of the band around your lower leg.Squeeze your shoulder blades and core and hold the edge of the bench to keep your torso engaged. Raise the foot attached to the band off the floor. Extend your leg, moving only at the knee. Hold for a beat at the top, squeezing your quad. Lower your leg back to the starting position.
Sets and Reps: 3 to 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps
Bodyweight Sissy Squat
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Why: Shift from the obvious move to maybe the most difficult of the leg extension alternatives. The name isn’t a sign of weakness here—just the opposite. Sissy is short for Sisyphus, as in, the underworld figure punished to eternally push a rock up a hill in Greek myth. Any exercise named after the legend is bound to be tough. Your focus will be racking up time under tension on the muscles, and staying within your own range of motion.
How to Do It:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in the center of a power rack or doorframe so that you can reach out and support yourself with both arms.Lift your heels off the floor, raising slightly onto your toes. Bend your knees and descend to the floor. Keep your hips extended, squeezing your core and holding on to the supports to stay upright. Lower down until your knees tap the floor in front of your toes (or however deep your mobility allows). Stand back up to the starting position.
Sets and Reps: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
Box Stepup
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Why: This simple exercise might be slightly better for engaging the quads through a wide range of motion, and you’ll also be able to introduce more load than the first two moves. The key is taking advantage of what Samuel calls “extreme knee flexion” and not rushing through the steps.
How to Do It:
You’ll need a stable box or raised platform to start.Place one foot on top of the box, with the entire foot on the surface.Drive up off your front foot to to raise your rear leg off the ground. Stand straight up and extend your top leg and hip. Do you best to avoid using your rear foot to help with this at all. Lower down slowly, coming back to the starting position with your rear foot on the floor.
Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 5 to 7 reps per side
Front Foot-Elevated Reverse Lunge
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Why: Swapping the box for a smaller stack of plates and switching up the movement is even more advantageous for your quads. You’ll be able to load this a bit more easily and balance better.
How to Do It:
Start standing with your feet placed on top of a stack of weight plates or some other raised platform. Step back with one leg, descending down into a lunge (both knees bent, rear knee just off the floor).Drive off your front foot to push off the floor, straightening your leg and hips and returning to the starting position.
Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat
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Why: Using a wedge or plate to raise the heels provides a different angle to work with that will more directly target the quads.
How to Do It:
Start with your heels elevated by a plate or wedge. Your feet should be close together in a closed stance. Hold a load (dumbbell or kettlebell) in front of your chest in goblet position, squeezing your shoulder blades, core, and glutes to keep yourself from falling forward. Push your butt back, then descend down into a squat. Allow your knees to track in front of your toes. Push through the floor to stand back up, extending your legs and squeezing your glutes at the top..
Sets and Reps: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
Spanish Squat
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Why: Add a resistance band to help solve the issue presented in most of these exercises: keeping the tension on through knee extension. This (along with the other banded variation) is going to be the most effective move you can do out of these picks.
How to Do It:
Start by securing a resistance band into a stable anchor point in front of you. Wrap the band around your knees and stand where you can feel tension. Perform a goblet squat, working with the band wrapped around the knee. Use the resistance from the band as a cue to straighten your knee aggressively when you stand up. Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
Terminal Knee Extension (TKE) Split Squat
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Why: You’re using the same concept as the Spanish squat, with the band providing a cue for knee extension—but Samuel says this version is even more effective, since you’re focused on one leg at a time.
How to Do It:
Start by securing a resistance band into a stable anchor point in front of you. Wrap the band around your knees and stand where you can feel tension. Perform a split squat, working with the band wrapped around the knee. Use the resistance from the band as a cue to straighten your knee aggressively when you stand up.
Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side
Brett Williams, NASM
Brett Williams, a senior editor at Men’s Health, is a NASM-CPT certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.
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